I would say the moon landing garnered public attention that had much different incentives than other industries, like nanotech. The moon landing was not just about advancing technology, but also overshadowing Russia's first entry into space with Sputnik, and showing our superiority.
Even so, getting to the moon was not something that public attention and funding just 'made happen'. Luckily, it happened to coincide with the invention of microchips and computer power shrinking down enough to fit in the nose of a shuttle. All of this required incremental progress that wasn't always in the limelight. Sure, the actual moon landing phase was, but not everything leading up to it.
Also, I would say Tesla is very much in the spotlight and making progress because of it, as one example.
Even so, getting to the moon was not something that public attention and funding just 'made happen'. Luckily, it happened to coincide with the invention of microchips and computer power shrinking down enough to fit in the nose of a shuttle. All of this required incremental progress that wasn't always in the limelight. Sure, the actual moon landing phase was, but not everything leading up to it.
Also, I would say Tesla is very much in the spotlight and making progress because of it, as one example.